Hide Your Cards with the Wally Ether iPhone Case

The designers at Distil Union have a healthy sense of humor as well as an uncanny knack for developing products to fit the needs of an increasingly digital world. Take, for instance, the Wally Ether. It’s a cell phone case that protects an iPhone but also acts as a mini wallet. The creators want to help you shake off the “Costanza clunker” (Seinfeld fans will appreciate the reference to George’s humongous, overstuffed wallet) phenomenon and protect your clothes and pockets with a trim profile.

The design team’s description of their wallet continues their tongue-in-cheek attitude:

“This slender hard-shell case with dashing leather exterior has unsuspecting super powers….The Clark Kent of iPhone cases, Wally Ether is the planet’s most unassuming case with hidden card-carrying capabilities–and only you and those with x-ray vision will know it’s a wallet….”

The Distil Union website promises to help you slim down your wallet contents so you’re ready for the switch to the Wally Ether, which has space for a lean three cards and two bills. The key take-aways: Pick your essential, every-day cards and leave the rest at home; go digital when you can (Distil Union suggests apps to help); and of course don’t carry wads of cash.

The slim profile of the Wally Ether and its dual-purpose phone case and wallet combo appeal to us, as you can imagine. But it might be the clever way of removing your credit cards that pleases us the most.

The designers describe the process as being akin to reading a pop-up book as a kid and pulling the tab to reveal hidden characters or movements. “We use a fine grosgrain ribbon and that same pop-up book pull-tab action for the same magical reveal,” they explain. “It’s low-tech, but it works!” Once you’ve completed your transaction, simply push the cards to slide them back out of sight.

Distil Union knows its wallets. The company also offers a slim model called the Wally Micro as well as stick-on mini wallets that attach to the back of your phone. The Wally Sleeve lets you safely stash folded bills and cards inside its trademark FlexLock pocket as well as cards in the standard Wally Pull-Tab section.

The Wally Ether fits the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus and is currently available in four colors–Ink, Rust, Slate and Hickory–all of them finely crafted from premium leather. The company stands by the quality and workmanship of its product with a one-year warranty on the case. (Have an older phone? The Wally Case fits the iPhone 6.)

As for the phone protection part of the equation, Distil Union has you covered there too. The Wally Ether case is lined with cushy microfiber to protect the phone’s camera. While it’s not a heavy-duty case, it will protect your phone against light knocks and spills.

Now you just have one essential to grab off the table as you run out the door in the morning. And as an added bonus, you can use the free Find My Phone app to track your wallet too.